A Life Changing Morning
How far would you be willing to go to make a substantial change in your life? What if I told you that changing your morning habits would have a significant impact on your day, and your outlook on life?
Let me introduce to you…
The Miracle Morning
I first heard of the miracle morning about a year ago. I tried it for a while, stopped, started again, stopped… you get it. But, every time I started up again, I felt a sense of calm and focus. I felt that I was ready to take on the day and that my day would go how I intended it to go! I am back on the miracle morning, and there is no turning back. It has truly changed my life.
Hal Elrod is the genius author of The Miracle Morning, and has changed millions of lives with his method.
What can you do before 8 am to drastically improve your outlook on life? Do you believe you can use a few minutes out of your day to do something practical? Yes, you can! You just need to make the decision to do it. As Hal Elrod points out in his introduction, “the miracle morning is one of the most practical, results-oriented and effective methods I have ever encountered for improving any – or literally every area of your life, which is a result of first improving yourself.” Let’s dig in.
I’ll let you go read the book for specifics (it’s free on a 30 day trial of Kindle Unlimited!) but I will give you a high level overview, so you can get started right away. First of all, this is not something that will take you a ton of time. Your MM can be as short or as long as you want it to be. Remember this acronym:
S.A.V.E.R.S.
S: Silence
Meditation, prayer, breathing. Whatever silence means for you, start your miracle morning off with it. Centering yourself and taking in the sweet silence of morning sets you up for success. Block out the chatter, focus on your breathing. Realize that this is your time, that nothing will interrupt you, and that you are in charge of your day.
A: Affirmations
Affirmations are used to encourage yourself that you are able to reach your goals. Everything that we repeatedly say to ourselves, whether out loud or in our head, is an affirmation. How are you affirming yourself? Are you being positive and talking to yourself as your would your own child, or are you constantly bringing yourself down?
Here are a few examples of positive affirmations (and some I use myself!):
I am an action taker. I get things done and am in a constant state of moving forward. I don’t let anything stop me, including self doubt or the opinions of others.
I am full of life and energy. I radiate positivity to those around me.
I am the boss of my life. I choose how my day is going to unfold.
I am doing meaningful, heart-felt work.
I am beautiful.
Even if you have one affirmation that you repeat over and over again, you will be telling your subconscious what you want out of life. Having a positive mental attitude to start the day will allow you to see the success and progress in everyday tasks.
V: Visualization
Visualization can be you imaging how your day will go, what it will look like, and the steps you will take to get closer to your goals. It can also be a bigger visualization, such as what your life will look like once you have reached your goals.
While not necessary, it can be helpful to make a vision board or poster of what goals you would like to achieve. Having a visual concrete in your mind will help you to see your goals as a reality. Imagine being in the place of your goals. What does it look like? How are you feeling? Are there any distinct smells? What can you touch? The more detailed you get, the better the visualization will be.
E: Exercise
We all know the effects exercise can have our our moods. Besides being great for the body, exercise is a proven mood booster and great for the brain. It helps clear the mind and reduce anxiety, among other benefits. My goal is to get back into running in the morning. I was training for a marathon before COVID hit, but once my marathon was cancelled, I stopped running. Even thought I have the itch to run again, at the time of this writing, every morning the skies are filled with smoke from the wildfires and so I've been doing indoor exercise - but I want to get back into running! I highly recommend doing something – even if it is a few sit-ups, push ups, or stretching. Some sort of activity to get the blood flowing!
R: Reading
Reading just a page a day can help improve your life skills. Fill your brain with positive thoughts and ideas to start the day off on the right foot. Read from others who have been where you are and are now where you want to be. Reading can overhaul your thinking and make you look at your life in a different perspective.
I set to read for about 10-15 minutes in the morning. I will do more on the weekends, but getting a few new ideas in my head to start the day off right is just what I need. Of course, we are talking non-fiction books for the morning. At the end of this post, there is a list of my favorite books to read for positive mental health!
S: Scribe
Take a moment to reflect. Write in a journal, a notepad, or whatever you can find. What is on your mind this morning? What do you hope to achieve for this day? How did you sleep? What you write here is up to you. There is no right or wrong way to journal. Just get a few thoughts down to start your day with a clear head.
I hope you can incorporate the miracle morning into your morning routine. You can spend one minute on each of the six tasks (the six-minute miracle), or as much time as you need! Start small. See where that will take you. If you aim to do an hour in the morning, you might burn out. Adjust as you see necessary and make it your own!
Below is a list of books I love.
Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero
100 Days to Brave, by Annie Downs
Secrets of Six Figure Women, by Barbara Stanny
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
Fierce Faith, by Alli Worthington
Extreme Ownership, by Jocko WIllink and Leif Babin
What books do you recommend I read? I would love to hear your favorites in the comments!
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